The Bishop McNamara Fightin' Irish will challenge the Aurora Christian Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Bishop McNamara is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, Bishop McNamara made easy work of Timothy Christian and carried off an 8-1 victory. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Fightin' Irish.
Jacob Lotz was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two runs.
In other batting news, Callahan O'Connor was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Braylon Ricketts, who went 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, while it was Aurora Christian who put the first runs on the board on Tuesday, it was St. Edward who put up more. The Eagles fell just short of the Green Wave by a score of 5-4.
Nolan Robertson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered five runs (all of which were unearned) on eight hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Jack Burns was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Aurora Christian's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 7-8 when he doesn't).
Aurora Christian's defeat was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 12-9. As for Bishop McNamara, their win bumped their record up to 13-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bishop McNamara has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Aurora Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bishop McNamara beat Aurora Christian 9-4 when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Will the Fightin' Irish repeat their success, or do the Eagles have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
